I saved the best for last! Today's post is the last one in my QuiltCon 2017 series. See the archive list in the sidebar to see the other posts. The improv category is really where my heart is at the show and this year's quilts were fabulous as always. Lincoln, above, is truly an improv achievement. I still don't quite understand how it was done. It was such a hit that it won People's Choice as well as First Place in the category. Well done!

Also interesting to note that these first three quilts placed in the category and look how the colors are so harmonious!

What If: A Color Study by Lynn Crymes (@lwcrymes), Second Place Improvisation

The Second Place winner (above) and Third Place winner (below) appear to be distant cousins. I really like the techniques and fabrics used. This is my favorite way to sew.

Asterism and Yay or Nay appeal to me because of the color scheme. Asterism is created with repurposed jeans. Yay or Nay is one that I saw in progress on Instagram. Debbie worried that the X blocks would detract from the overall theme, but I, along with many others, encouraged her to keep going with it. I love the resulting composition!

Still With Her by Liz Harvatine (@ladyharvatine), Judge's Choice- Elizabeth Spannring, detail below

How could I not love this one! I had seen it online, but it was great to see in person. I have said before that my favorite thing about improv quilts is to find the unexpected. In this case, the turquoise bit in the binding is something I never would have considered. Love it! This quilt started out as a giant Hillary logo which Liz created the day before the 2016 election. The day after the election she decided to cut it apart, add to it, and put it back together. I think the result is absolutely fabulous.

Michelle's quilt is a wonderful example of what I would call liberated quilting. There is a fine line between liberated quilting and improv and perhaps this one straddles that line with sections that are not really based on a traditional block. In either case, I think this one would have also done well in the Modern Traditionalism category. I love the colors and the judicious use of black and white.

The quilts above and below are both by Sarah Lowry. She really has a handle on the improv techniques that I love to do and her use of color and print are really great. The color scheme she used in the Flicker quilt is so unusual, but makes perfect sense when you discover the title of the quilt. She made this quilt "to capture the movement, shape, and color of a flicker's feathers".

Rescue Mission has such a happy vibe! I love the colors and use of various triangles. Stephanie rescued some scraps to create this quilt. The Morse code SOS was added to the top and bottom of the quilt while the "quilting expresses various lines of communication and miscommunication that might occur during a real-life rescue mission".

I love Sarah's use of print in this quilt. She used various cottons and linens to make this wonderfully fresh design.

Wild Abandon by me!

Wild Abandon was my own entry in the Improvisational category. It was made entirely with pieces from the scrap bin and machine quilted with a walking foot in a completely random manner. It was great fun to do and I'm sure won't be the last scrap quilt in this vein.